Pitt secured its first-ever win in McCamish Pavillon with a 71-60 takedown over host Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers were sparked by Nike Sibande, who posted a team-high 21 points off the bench. Sibande, a redshirt senior, also grabbed six rebounds and his 21 points were a new season-high for him.
Pitt used a quick 4-0 burst to break open a tie at the end of the first half to take a 38-34 lead into halftime. The Panthers never trailed after that. Georgia Tech got within four points at the under-12 timeout in the second half, but Pitt weathered the storm and pulled out an 11-point ACC road victory.
Nelly Cummings hit a runner at the end of the shot clock, and Jamarius Burton's turnaround jumper in the closing minutes got Pitt's lead back into double digits. Pitt went 6-of-7 from the free throw line down the stretch and 17-of-20 for the game.
The win over Georgia Tech propels Pitt's record to 12-6 on the year and 5-2 in the ACC. This is Pitt's best start in ACC play since 2016, as that team also started 5-2. That season was the most recent NCAA Tournament appearance by this program
Pitt had to overcome somewhat of a sluggish start. The Yellow Jackets shot the ball very well in the first half, and were beating the Panthers on the glass as well. Georgia Tech (8-9, 1-6) came into Saturday's game making only 6.9 three-pointers per game, but surpassed that total in the first half. The Yellow Jackets finished with 12 makes from behind the arc for the game. They also out-rebounded Pitt 40-35 and held a 19-6 advantage in second chance points, thanks to 14 offensive rebounds.
A lot of the same issues that led to Pitt's loss at Duke on Wednesday were present on Saturday, but the Panthers overcame them. In addition to Sibande's big game, Burton chipped in 19 points. Blake Hinson supplied 13 points.
Cummings had to fight through foul trouble throughout Saturday's game and was limited to just 24 minutes. He scored all 11 of his points in the second half and was 5-of-6 from the field.
Despite some rebounding issues and closing out on three-point attempts, Pitt did a good job defensively on Miles Kelly. Georgia Tech's star sophomore entered Saturday's game averaging 14.4 points per game, but he was held to 6 points on 2-of-10 shooting. The Yellow Jackets were led by Deivon Smith, who finished with a team-high 15 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds.
Pitt snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday, and also a three-game skid to the Yellow Jackets. The Panthers will return to action on Wednesday night as they take on the Louisville Cardinals on the road. Louisville is currently 2-16 on the season.
